Regena Cassandrra needs no introduction. The actress started her acting journey in 2005, got her breakthrough role in 2012 with Telugu debut Siva Manasulo Sruthi, and after a decade of work in the Tamil and Telugu industry, she stepped into Bollywood in 2019 with her Hindi debut film Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga. While her journey looks smooth, the actress, hailing from Chennai, feels at home on the sets, shared that she was treated in a derogatory manner in Bollywood and was stereotyped as a South Indian.
In a recent interview with Hindustan Times, Regena confessed that though she feels at home on the sets, it took her time to feel the same in Bollywood (Hindi Film Industry) as she was stereotyped as a South Indian and said, “I was a South Indian actress. Compared to most South Indians, my Hindi is way better. I can read, write, and speak Hindi, and all the work I have done to date in the language is in my own voice. It’s my own Hindi, and I’ve tried to make sure that, you know, I live up to the role that I’ve been given.”
Spilling the beans on unfair treatment in Bollywood, Regena highlighted being made to feel she isn’t a part of the industry with actions only because she hails from the South and said, “A lot of people treated me in a derogatory manner, not just with words, but with actions. It’s sort of a derogatory outlook towards me. And, I mean, anyone would be able to tell that I was being put down in a certain way. I did feel it. So I did have some inhibitions in the North. But, having said that, it’s not always the case, right?”
However, despite the unfair treatment, being derogated and stereotyped, Regena shared she still managed to feel at home on the sets of the Hindi Film industry as she is a very nurturing person and people realise that.
Regena, after marking her debut in 2019 in Bollywood, has appeared in Hindi films and projects like Rocket Boys, Jaanbaaz Hindustan Ke, Kesari Chapter 2, Jaat, and others.
